Mechanism for opening and closing doors



April 20,1926. 1,581,295

' H. H. SCHAEFFER MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS i ed ct 13, 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR;

HA RRY lic'ifrflfk,

ATTORNEYS.

' a very readily openlng mechanlsm which shall also loclr Patented Apr. 229, 1926.

UNITED STATES retires PATENT "OFFICE.

HARRY H. SCHAEFFER, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCI-IIEBLE TOY & NOVELTY COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO;

MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING DOORS.

Application filed. October 13, 1924. Serial No. 743,229. 4

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY H. Sonimrrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l\.lechanism for Opening and Closing Doors, of followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to mechanism for 7 opening and closing as well as looking doors and in particular to doors on vehicles such as used on toy railway cars. 7

It is the object of my invention to provide operated door closing and the doors in their open or closed position for use particularly on toy vehicles although the mechanism has applications other than that to toys.

It is essential in having such operating mechanismfor toys to have the operating mechanism on the outside of the vehicle where the child can get at it but also in such a position that when the toy is moving there will be the least projection from the side or some other part of the vehicle to interfere with the child or the furniture in-a room where the toy may be used.

It is my object to provide a construction of toy such as a traction car which will embody this door mechanism and other features of construction to produce a modern type imitation electric vehicle.

It is the present practice in such railway construction to provide centrally located low entrance double door facilities.

It is also my object to'provide novel forms of construction of the car body itself such as a one piece roof to tie the side walls of the body together to form a rigid structure around the door opening mechanism.

It is a further object to tie the cow catchers or bumpers to the vehicle so asto form an integral structure.

It is a further object to provide av form of bottom construction which will tie the side walls together and will also form a suitable enclosure for the door operating mechanism so as not to be tampered with by the child. The whole vehicle is so arranged that when once the door mechanism is installed that it will be impossible for the child to which the underneath. the roof and a 'of the body are formed in throw it out of operation by tampering with it.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l. is a side elevation of the completed vehicle;

Figure 2 is a plan view partially in section of the doo r operating mechanism with the doors open and in locked open position; Figure 3 is a similar view of the doors in closed locked position;

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the vehicle showing the rear elevation of the installation of the door mechanism, the bottom enclosure, and the method of attachment of the top, side walls, cow catchers, etc.; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the one piece F top blank which is used to hold the side walls together and to seal the top to prevent entrance to the vehicle.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the floor construction and the manner of securing same to the sides of the car.

It will be understood that this toy is adapted for containing friction power units on the driving wheels or other forms of motive power. For this reason it must be very strong and be capable of withstanding the roughest usage by children. It is necessary to have this rigidity of structure in order to give an appreciable life to the toy.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 is a roof of the vehicle. This roof has on either end of the central section end portions 2 with triangular flanges 3. On either side of the main roofportion are metal flaps consisting of a rectangular portion 4 which is bent over vertical portion 5 in which are the openings 6. The edge 7 of the ventilator portion rests on the top' of the sloping roofof the side walls of the car body designated 8. The extreme ends of the blank are formed in rectangular mem bers 9 which are bent over the ends of the side walls of the top 10. These side walls two parts which meet as at 11 at either end so that the overlapping ends 9 serve to overlap and hold together these joints. At the lower end of these joints the overlapping ends are projected through the cow catcher 12 as at 13 and'are twisted sothat they hold the cow catcher to the main body and thus the bumping portion which receives the greatest shocks to the entire body structure. This cow catcher is spot welded to these side walls of the body at either end thereof, thus further l eeping the structure together. The cow catcher has an inwardly and upwardly extending port-ion letwhich is spot welded at .5 to the forward halt of the floor 16.

This floor is composed of a central portion 16 and struck up portions 17 on either side thereof to form seats inside of the car. Downwardly extending flanges 18 form the bearing points against the inside oi? the side walls to provide points of attachment by spot welding with the side walls of the body. The central portion of the bottom consists oi. a down ardly extending plate 19 nd a horizontally extending plate 20 forming the compartn ient for the doors and door ooera'ting mechanism. This bottom can be made either of one piece or of two pieces which join at 21. The side walls of the body are provided with downwardly extending portions 22 for supporting the power trucks. They are also provided with windows and strengthening ribs 24. The door openings are designated 25 while the doors themselves are designated 26. Between the doors is an opening for a ticket taker 27. The doors 26 are mounted in openings on either side of the vehicle. A box-like structure 28 is pro vided to contain the door opening and locl' ing mechanism. 29 designates the angularly disposed plate known as the door operating lever which is a continuation of the door structure. This lever has a right angle vertical portion 30 known as the locking head. This head when the doors are closed engages with the side wall 31 of the door operating plate- 32. Such engagement locks the door in its closed position. This plate is mounted to slide horizontally in the cage .28. Its ton vvard end is rounded and rests on the forward wall of the cage while its rear edge is narrowed into a finger and travels in the rear portion of the cage. It is also provided with laterally projecting interlocking fingers 34:. These lingers serve to engage against the locking head and the locking lever for moving the door to its open position. hen this is accomplished the locking heads 30 project into the slots 35 in the door operating plate between the main portion ot the plate and the fingers 351-. At this point the levers 29 are parallel with the interlocking fingers 34- while the heads 30 are in the enlarged apertures 36 at the base of the slots Thus the doors are locked in their open position and it takes a considerable amountot force constantly applied to unlock them. It will be noted that the locking plate 32 when the doors are locked is in its retreated position thereby having the minimum of projecting surface from the side wall of the car when the doors are closed and the car is supposed.

to be moving. This projecting portion is also rounded to prevent injury to the child or furniture.

it will be understood that I desire to comprehend witnin my invention such modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

Having hus lull y described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a vehicle having a door opening, a door therefor, a door opening member adapted to actuate said door to its open or closed positions and to lock it in either of said positions, said mechanism consisting of a door and door operating lever, a locking head, a door operating plate having a slot therein to cconnnodate the locking head and lever, and an interlocking linger adapted to engage with said lever to unlock the door.

2. In a vehicle having a door opening, a door therefor, a door opening member adapted to actuate said door to its open or closed positions and to lock itin either of said positions, said mechanism consisting of a door, a door operating lever, a locking head, a door 0 ierating plate having a slot therein to accoi'nmodate the locking head and lever. and an interlocking finger adapted to engage with said lever to unlock the door, and a cage to enclose said levers and head, a finger to guide said door operating plate, said door perating plate extending beyond the car so that it can be grasped for operation of the door.

3. In a vehicle having door openings, doors adapted to close said openings, a common operating device consisting of a plate, levers on said doors, locking heads on said levers adapted to ei'igage with the common operating device to lock the doors in open or closed position, interlocking fingers on said device, said device having slots to accommodate said levers and locking heads in their unlocked position.

i. In a vehicle having door openings, doors adapted to close said openings, a com mon operating device consisting of a plate, levers on said doors, locking heads on said levers adapted to engage with the common operating device to lock the doors in open or closed position, interlocking fingers on said device, said device having slots to accon'miodate said levers and locking heads in their unlocked position, said vehicle having side walls and top connected thereto to enclose the top of the vehicle, and a bottom adapted to enclose the bottom of the vehicle, whereby access to the locking mechanism for the doors is prevented.

In a toy vehicle such as a traction car, side walls having overlapping ends, a one piece top mounted on said side walls having the extreme ends overlapping the joints of said side walls, andm bottomconstruction Iii attached to said side Walls consisting of a plate comprising a depressed portion extending longitudinally of the vehicle and elevated portions on each side thereof, the depressed portion forming an aisle and the elevated portions forming seats.

6. In a toy vehicle such as a traction car, side walls overlapping at either end of the vehicle, a one piece top, a ventilating portion joining the side walls and overlapping at the ends of the joints of the walls, door openings on either side of the vehicle centrally thereof below the general level of a fioor of the car, and a floor member having a centrally depressed portion for accommodating the movement of the doors in the center of the vehicle, door operating mecha- .nism located in said depressed portion adapted to open and close said doors, and said floor portions being so arranged in the elevated part of the floor at either end of the car that they provide both a fioorand seats on either side of the car, said fioor portions being attached to the side walls of the car to tie the side Walls together.

7. In a toy vehicle such as a traction car, side walls overlapping at either end of the vehicle, a one piece top, a ventilating portion joining the side walls and overlapping at the ends of the joints of the walls, door openings oneither side of the vehicle centrally thereof below the general level of a floor of the car, and a floor member having a centrally depressed portion for accommodating the movement of the doors in the center of the vehicle, door operating mechanism located in said depressed portion adapted to open and close said doors, said floor portions being so arranged in the elevated part of the floor at either end of the car that they provide both a floor and seats on either side of the car, said floor portions being attached to the side walls of the car to tie the said side walls together, and a depending truck carrying portions on either side at either end of said vehicle integral with the side walls.

8. In a door operating mechanism, a cage, a door pivoted on said cage, a lever on said door, projecting into the cage having a head adapted to engage with the door operdoor operating member frictionallyto ating member, a door operating member adapted to slide in the cage, a finger on said member to engage with the end of the lever and its head to actuate the door, said head being adapted to engage with the side of the maintain the door in operating position, said door operating member having a slot for the accommodation of the head and the lever in the unlocked position of the door and to maintain the door in said position.

9. In a door operating mechanism, a cage, a door pivoted on said cage, alever on said door, projecting into the cage having a head adapted to engage with the door operating member, a door operating member adapted to slide in the cage, a finger on said member to engage with the end of the lever and its head to actuate the door, said head being adapted to engage with the side of the door operating member frictionally' to maintain the door in operating position, said door operating member having a slot for the accommodation of the head and the lever in the unlocked position of the door and to maintain-the door in said position, and a second door oppositely disposed to the first door having a similar lever and head adapted to operate with a similar construction 0 the plate, whereby as the door operating plate is actuated back and forth in the cage the doors will be simultaneously operated and locked.

10. In a vehicle such as a toy railway car having door openings, a unit for operating and carrying doors to close said openings adapted to be mounted adjacent to the floor of said vehicle and attached to the inside of the side Wall thereof, said door unit consisting of a cage, doors, levers on said doors projecting into the cage, locking heads, interlocking fingers, said plate havlng slots r'or accommodating said heads and levers to move the doors into unlocked position and maintain them in such unlocked position,

said locking heads also being adapted to engage frictionally with the door and plate to maintain the doors in locked position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARRY H. SCHAEFFER. 

